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Your Go-To Guide for Writing Business Reports

Writing a business report shouldn’t be a burden, and it shouldn’t be hard. Here are some of our favourite tips to hand in a masterpiece business report every time.

1. Don’t start from scratch

Odds are some of your colleagues or senior have made similar reports in the past. Ask them for a copy and start from there. It saves a lot of time and honestly, it’s always easier to not start on a blank page.

2. Always follow company guidelines

Before googling for business report templates, make sure that your company doesn’t have their own specific templates for writing the reports. Ask your manager for the specifics – such as the must-have sections in your report.

3. Be mindful of formatting

Yes, content is king but formatting is equally important. Your report must have the same font, font size, alignment and spacing throughout the document. Reading a poorly formatted report will not get your points across to the readers.

Before submitting, always read again your report and ask, “Is this report easy to scan through? Is it easy to read?”

4. Use sections and bullet points

Reports are not essay, and using bullet points to outline key points makes it easier for the reader to find the content that he/she wants to read, especially if it’s a long document. Make sure you use a headline for each section.

5. Double check the facts

In reports, it’s easy to be carried away and write a lot without remembering to give the proper backup. Always support your analysis/opinion with facts, and show hard data from the business implementation you have been doing.

Our training division, the Institute of Management, provides practical English language courses to help you improve your skills. Check out our website for further information.